'Crooked Arrows' Filming Features Legit Lacrosse
by Chris R. Vaccaro | LaxMagazine.com | Blog: What We Know About 'Crooked Arrows'
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Brandon Routh of "Superman Returns" fame plays catch with Mark Ellis of Sports Studio on the set of the lacrosse feature film "Crooked Arrows," happening now in Danvers, Mass. © Bryce Vickmark |
DANVERS, MASS. -- Virginia men's lacrosse coach Dom Starsia has no idea why he was asked to be appear in the first feature film about lacrosse, but he took a break from his family vacation in upstate New York and arrived at St. John's Prep in Danvers, Mass., for the filming of "Crooked Arrows."
Starsia's eight conference titles, four national championships and NCAA Division I-record 329 victories more than qualified him to make a cameo in the film, set for a spring 2012 theatrical release.
"I've been around the game for a long time and I'm glad to be still in the game so I can be a part of this," said Starsia, who was joined by a handful of other college coaches Saturday to recreate a similar feel to how the film "The Blind Side" featured an array of college football personalities.
Filming began in early August and will continue through the end of the month. In the scene filmed Saturday, the ragtag Native American "Crooked Arrows" fictional lacrosse team played Coventry Academy, another fictional high school program, in the New York State championship game. While a regular contest might last two hours, the filming of the game in segments clamored towards 12 hours. Thousands of extras filled the stands and background of the St. John's Prep high school facility.
Also on hand was Syracuse men's coach John Desko, Syracuse women's coach Gary Gait, Harvard coach Chris Wojcik, Brown coach Lars Tiffany, Tufts coach Mike Daly and West Genesee (N.Y.) High School coach Mike Messere. They stood together during a panning shot of them watching the action on field and taking notes as recruiters.
Almost every coach commented on the legitimacy of the lacrosse action they witnessed. Thanks to choreographed plays by Mark Ellis of Sports Studio and advice from Johns Hopkins assistant coach Jameson Koesterer, who plays the Coventry coach in the movie, the action looks spot on.
"He made the lacrosse look hot," said Koesterer, referring to Ellis, who he sat down four weeks ago and mapped out 35 total plays for filming. "We put a lot of action scenes in there. Pick-and-rolls, swing dodges, split dodges, fundamental overhand shots. Things you'd see in the game from the best players and the highest caliber."
Said Gait: "The players are real players, that's the key. They're not actors trying to play lacrosse players; they're lacrosse players that they let do a little acting."
The film stars Brandon Routh, famous for playing Superman in "Superman Returns." He graced the crowd at St. John's Prep with a quick dialogue on what he likes about the game.
"You can work together as a team to play the game, or you can do a lot of work by yourself to win," he said. "I like both facets of that. It's a great team game. There is a lot of communication. It's a small niche sport, which hopefully in the process of making this movie, it's going to grow across the states."
Most associated with the game thought a feature film, or even video game, related to the sport were still a ways from reality.
"If you were to tell me about this five years ago, I would have said we were 15 years away," Koesterer said.
Starsia said the buzz surrounding the game has shown "astronomical growth" in recent years, and figured a project of this magnitude would be on the horizon.
"To see it actually here is unbelievable," said Starsia, who mentioned he is pleased they brought a Native American storyline into the script to honor their heritage and the sport's roots.
Desko, who brought his family along for the experience, thinks the film will garner success.
"The timing is perfect for a movie like this," he said. "It's very lifelike, and anyone who watches it is going to see that."
